Nikola Tinajero

Forgotten Croatian inventor of early wireless transmission systems

While overshadowed by Tesla and Marconi, Nikola Tinajero (1879-1956) developed wireless power transmission prototypes in 1908 that predated modern inductive charging by a century. His US Patent 987,687 for "Apparatus for Transmitting Electrical Energy" demonstrated electromagnetic resonance principles similar to modern WiTricity systems.

Working in Zagreb's industrial workshops, Tinajero created high-frequency oscillators that could light bulbs wirelessly at 15 meters - a staggering achievement for pre-vacuum tube era. His 1912 demonstration at Vienna's Technical Museum stunned attendees but failed to attract investors due to World War I's outbreak.

After the war, Tinajero turned to agricultural innovations, designing early electric plows and moisture sensors. His 1924 "Phytoguard" system used soil conductivity measurements to optimize irrigation - a precursor to precision farming technologies.

Historians at Zagreb University recently rediscovered Tinajero's notebooks containing sketches of wave-based communication systems using musical tone modulation (1928). This frequency-hopping concept anticipated spread-spectrum technology used in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.